Italian Cheesecake
Italian Cheesecake Crust: 3 cups crushed graham crackers 1 teaspoon cinnamon 3 tablespoons granulated sugar 1/2 cup melted butter Combine graham crackers, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter and press into the bottom of a 9 inch spring form pan. Chill for an hour. Filling: 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature 1 and 1/4 cups granulated sugar 6 large eggs with whites separated from yolks, at room temperature 1/3 cup flour 2 cups sour cream 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 tablespoons lemon zest 2 tablespoons lemon juice Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. With electric mixer, blend cream cheese until smooth. Gradually add the sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks one at a time and blend after each addition. Blend in the flour, sour cream, vanilla, lemon zest and lemon juice until smooth. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until they form soft peaks. Fold 1/3 of the beaten egg whites into the cream cheese mixture. Pour this mixture into the remaining beaten egg whites and fold in slightly. Pour the filling into the chilled crust. Place the pan on a cookie sheet on the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 1 and 1/2 hours or until cake light brown on top and almost set. Turn off the oven and let the cake bake for another hour. Remove cheesecake from oven. Allow cake to cool to room temperature on a wire rack after loosening cake from the edges with a sharp knife. Don't remove the rim. Refrigerate for at least 5 hours before removing the rim and serving. Serves 14.
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